The Secret Life of the Slayer
by YourVampireGirl98
Summary: Rose Hathaway is one of a kind. She is lethal, loyal, and people fear her. When she moves to St. Vladimir's Academy, will the secret Rose has spent her entire life hiding be revealed to the Moroi society? AU, OOC. RxD LxC AxV JxE MxM
1. Chapter 1

**So, here is what I have for my new story. Please leave reviews and tell me how it sounds! Please give suggestions, too. Thanks! This is a R/D story, and it's going to be a little OOC, but events in the story cause for different attitudes. Hope you enjoy.**

****I will be continuing 'Love Last a Lifetime.' I'm going to hopefully be updating by Wednesday, but regardless, the chapter is almost done.****

* * *

**Ch.1**

I tied my hair back, throwing it up into a high ponytail. I had on my usual attire for fighting; black shirt and my black army pants, along with my black combat boots. Around my waist was a belt that held all of my weapons: stakes, knives, guns, etc. My extra stake was in my right boot, and I had an extra gun concealed in my back and left boot.

Time to roll.

_'You okay, Liss?'_ I asked through our bond.

_'I'm fine. You know I trust you.' _Even with her utter most trust in me, I could still feel her extreme worry and fear. _'Really, just hurry.'_

I quickly ran out of my room and down the stairs, shouting a good bye to mother on my way out. She already knew where I was going; I had told her the moment Lissa was screaming at me through our bond. She itched to go with me but knew in order to keep my identity secret she had to stay home.

Confused? Let me start from the beginning.

When my mother, the infamous Janine Hathaway, met my mobster of a father, Abe Mazur, it was love at first sight. Except they never got their happy ending. They were attending a royal banquet -ugh- and it turned into a strigoi ambush. My mother immediately went into battle, but was fighting too many strigoi to keep track of her charge, my father. He was taken and turned against his will. My mother knew my dad would never want to walk this world as an evil creature, so she set off to kill him. But nothing is as easy as it seems. Life's a bitch that way.

My mother eventually found my dad, but she did the first thing guardians are taught _not_ to do- she'd hesitated. My dad took my mom hostage and used her as his own personal blood whore. Eventually, he knocked her up, and out pops me as the result. When my father realized my mother was pregnant, he quit taking blood from her. He had some big twisted scheme that I could start a revolution, some kind of order that would kill off the moroi race and further strigoi power. As if.

When I was born, my mother escaped from his palace and ran with me. She ran to her half sister, Rhea Dragomir. My mother became her sister's guardian to get our lives back to normal, and so we could stay close to our only family.

Growing up, my mother made sure she kept up with all of my needs, keeping my true identity a secret, except from our family. Everything was okay for awhile, until the accident happened. The accident that ruined too many lives and saved the most important to me. I'll say it again, life's a bitch.

We were all leaving the park and on our way home. Lissa and I were only five, while Andre was nine years old, when our car was ambushed. A strigoi had slammed into the side of it, sending our car sprawling down the hill in heaps and jumps. Screams and cracked bones were etched forever into my memory. The sound of silence as only my mother and I were crying, the smell of blood and death. Of course I was okay, but no one else was. Around me, every person I loved was dead. Aunt Rhea, Uncle Ricky, my lovable, fun going Andre. But nothing hit me until I saw Lissa, and boy did it hit hard.

Seeing my best friend, my cousin, my sister, lying in a bloody heap on the ground with wide eyes, her lifeless tiny body so innocent and young, broke my heart. Beside me my mom was crying over Aunt Rhea's body, devastated yet ready to kill. I didn't spare her another glance, I knew she was okay, too focused on Lissa to pay attention. I summoned up all of the good I could, bringing life and spirit into her, pushing every bit of elemental spirit I could.

I can't remember what happened next. I'm not really sure, despite my perfect memory. What I do remember is my mom screaming my name, the blinding light radiating off of Lissa, feeling weak for the first time in my life. Then her opening her eyes. All I could do was smile at her before slumping into a heap next to her.

At only five years old, bringing back your best friend from the dead and causing her to specialize _way _too early was kind of life changing. So, we kept it to ourselves, telling no one but my mom.

Still confused?

Well, your probably wondering how I could have brought Lissa back to life without being a spirit using moroi. (Nah, that's Lissa's department.)

That's because I'm not a dhampir.

But I'm not moroi, either.

Nor am I strigoi.

I'm a hybrid.

My mother is a dhampir, my father is a strigoi who used to be a moroi. My genes are a genetic fuck up of all three races combined. It makes me lethal. I have traits from all three races. I get my looks from my dhampir genes, and I receive my my speed, strength, and endurance from my strigoi genes. I also wield all of the elements, except spirit, and have the enhanced senses from both my moroi and strigoi genes. I don't have to drink blood-thank god- and my memory is perfect. Oh, and I have a double bond with Lissa.

Vasilisa Dragomir. I simply call her Lissa, or when being affectionate, Liss. The closest person in the whole world to me. When I brought her back to life, I used so much spirit that I gave her all of my elements, which was a lot for a normal five year old like Lissa, unlike me, the killing machine who had her first strigoi kill at seven years old. All of that energy caused us to forge a bond to help with spirit and it's stupid fucking side effects. They didn't effect me because I was strong enough and my body was built for it, but Lissa was a different question. I take the darkness from her and surge it into positive energy or anger when I'm fighting. My mother put Lissa on medicine to block the spirit until she turned fourteen. By that time, moroi our age were specializing and mom figured that we would figure out a way to keep the darkness from getting to Lissa. She was right.

Being the last Dragomir and all, Lissa was forced to move to St. Vladimir's Academy. It was hard at first, still is, being separated at five years old after losing our family, but our bond kept us closer than ever. I had wanted to go along with her, but knew I couldn't. I had to keep my true identity a secret. The move was hard on my mom. After losing my dad, our entire family, and then Lissa moving away, she became over protective. We bought a huge cabin in Montana, close enough that I could sneak Lissa out of the Academy all of the time and put her back in before anyone realized a thing. Like they would ever catch me, but whatever.

Now, as both of us are seventeen years old and closer than ever, our lives are now once again fucked with. And people wonder why I don't believe in god. If he were real, he wouldn't put me through so much shit. The entire world is lucky I work damn well under pressure.

The school had left the Academy for a royal gathering by the queen; one only seniors and novices were able to attend to. Let me tell you, the moroi queen is a bitch. A huge bitch. She has a price on my head, when she doesn't know a thing about what I do. Hypocrite When the students were arriving, a pack of strigoi took Lissa and her friends hostage. Once again, they're lucky I am able to save their asses. I knew exactly where they took Lissa from, and while in her head, was able to figure out where they were from where they turned and how long they were driving and using math to figure out their location. I would know exactly where once I got closer, because I can sense Lissa through closer ranges. But regardless, they took her, and that enough boiled my blood.

Because of me.

Strigoi fear me. As they should. I can kill them without lifting a finger, but actually like to give them a fair fight. Not like it's fair when I can kick their ass, but I get some enjoyment I seeing them squirm. Call me a masochist, or maybe it's the strigoi in me coming out, but whatever. I am the one person capable of ending the strigoi once and for all. So that's what I'll do. My own way.

The perks of being Rose Hathaway.

Except they don't know my name. Nor do the moroi or dhampirs. Both races want to kill me because they think I'm a threat. Which is one hundred percent true. But I'm not a threat to them, on purpose, and by being a threat to the strigoi, I'm helping the moroi society. They don't see it that way. Hence keeping my identity secret.

They all know me as the Slayer.

And by messing with Lissa, they fucked with the wrong girl. And they just awakened a very pissed off and evil Slayer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Here it is guys! Let's get a few things straight. In this chapter, it's just like the Frostbite Spokane thing, but different. This time, the whole group was taken because there are many more strigoi because of Lissa.**

**Adrian Dimitri Christian Eddie Mason Mia Jill and Lissa were all taken. They are all in high school. **

* * *

Running all of the way to Spokane was a bitch, but didn't phase me all that much. My anger for the situation fueled me to move all that much quicker. Plus, it got me here quicker than a car or bus would have. I knew from Lissa that they were being held in an abandoned building, and the moment I was in the town, I could sense exactly what building she was in.

Easy as that.

Yet, my gut was telling me that nothing I ever did was easy. Damned gut feelings are bitches, too.

Lately, groups of strigoi have been raiding moroi homes and somehow getting through wards. I immediately knew that they were getting humans to work with them, not a hard thing to do when you can use super compulsion, but it took the guardians quite some time to grasp the concept. It was bad enough with strigoi killing in groups, but it was worse with humans getting involved. It was these types of things I strive to stop.

I stood beside the side of the building, the huge warehouse vacant and secluded. Perfect for the purpose of what the strigoi need. My skin crawled, my tattoos suddenly heating my skin. With each strigoi kill, my body marks itself with a small tattoo. Every kill is a different symbol or shape, but it all connects to form a beautiful picture. Fitting, that such a pretty outcome comes from such a gruesome act. When strigoi are near, my tattoos are like an alarm system, they heat up and send tingles through my skin. My entire back is covered and the tattoo has worked it's way along my left shoulder blade, but no further.

I placed my hands on the ladder, pausing in my movements. _'Liss? Can you feel for me? Am I at the right side?'_

_ 'Yes. Please hurry, they just came back.'_

I could feel her relief at having me so close, knowing that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. Making quick work, I climbed the ladder and swiftly threw myself onto the ceiling, using feather like movements. I could tell there had to be at least thirty strigoi inside, which was crazy. I knew that the only reason so many were together was because of Lissa, and her being the last Dragomir. That also meant many Guardians would arrive as soon as they could, which meant that I had to make quick work.

"Damn, it's cold." I complained as I put my gay ass mask on. It always reminded me of some Cat Woman shit, but my mom said that it conceals my face from any strigoi that ever escape or moroi who get accidental peeks. Taking a deep breath, I produced a fire ball and blew a hole in the cement.

Without a moment of hesitation, I jumped through the hole, falling at least fifty feet down to the ground of the warehouse. Stupid, tall ass building. Lissa snickered from my thoughts, causing her friends to stare at her funny. For a moment, all was silent as everyone took in my dramatic entrance.

"The Slayer." A strigoi breathed, and I grinned, standing tall from my crouch. There were a few intakes of breath from the group of teenagers with Lissa, but I ignored them.

"I'm so glad you know who I am." I purred, my mouth setting into my signature sneer. "Because now you know what happens next."

I burned the ten strigoi closest to me into ashes, using my fire on full power. While some strigoi wanted to run, others were coming to attack. Cool, I love a good fight. In my peripheral vision, I could tell that a few of Lissa's friends were hurt, and one of them was drugged up pretty bad on endorphin's. My rage from this fueled me to burn another ten strigoi, and they were still coming. Damn, talk about a big group.

I jumped over a female who went for my legs while round housing another at the same time. I felt alarm through the bond, and looked over to see three strigoi going for Lissa. They were burned to ash before another second could pass. Lissa sent me a grateful smile; I winked before grabbing a male who snarled at me. I smirked, ripping his head off with my bare hands. Huh, haven't done that in awhile.

I don't even see the point in why my mom tells me to carry stakes with me.

As I ripped another strigoi apart, I was pushed from the side. Damn, first hit of the night. I had to back hand-spring to keep my balance. I cocked an eyebrow at the strigoi who hit me, mimicking her stance. "So, ready to be six feet under?"

She simply snarled as an answer, striking out with her right fist, but sending her knee towards my gut. I dodged her fist, taking her knee and twisting quickly. Her body twisted in an odd way, and in her moment of weakness, I quickly snapped her neck. It wouldn't kill, but it makes it easier to. The moment her eyes slacked, I gave a quick tug, and off came a head of blonde hair. I turned around to see four more strigoi, but none of them seemed brave enough to make a move.

So I lit them on fire, silencing their screams by turning the flames up a notch, and then they were dead. No more attacks came. Ash and dead bodies surrounded me, but I tried not to look. No matter how much of a masochistic thrill I get from killing, the after effects suck, because then I realize that I murdered. Some of them used to be good people that got handed a shitty situation. My tattoos stopped tingling, which let me know no strigoi were around.

Taking a deep breath, I turned around to face eight people my age. Lissa was the only one who didn't look horrified on some sort of level, though her face was grim. She knew what killing does to me. Shaking off the feeling, I strode over to Lissa to get her cuffs off. My movements woke everyone out of their stupors, and then the screaming started.

"Get away from her!" A moroi girl with curly blonde hair cried, who I recognized as Mia Rinaldi. Her and Lissa have always been close friends, and she even came with us to Disney Land when we were all eleven. Obviously, this mask does a good job at concealing my features, or she has a terrible memory. Maybe both.

"Sh, it's okay Mia." Lissa tried to soothe her, but no one would listen.

"Wow, the Slayer is a chick." I heard one of the male moroi mumble. Grinning, I bit back my snarky remark. Ah, Adrian Ivashkov. The never changing, sexy as hell player who was a spirit user like Lissa.

"Shut up, Adrian." A moroi girl snapped, who had wide green eyes and a head full of curly, brown hair. Jill Mastrano. The dhampir next to her, Eddie Castile, was oblivious to everything around him. No telling how many times he was fed off of.

I ripped off Lissa's cuffs, and her arms wrapped around me not a second later. Her emotions finally came out, and she cried into my shoulder. Everyone gasped, but I simply tightened my hold on her and held her for a few more minutes. When she quieted down, she pulled back and smiled sheepishly.

_'You okay?' _I gripped her arms, softly running my fingers over the marks on her wrist from the cuffs. _'Is anyone else hurt?'_

_ 'Seriously hurt? Eddie is drugged beyond limits. Dimitri and Mason escaped and were trying to untie Christian, but the strigoi caught them both and knocked them both out. Everyone else is okay.'_

I nodded, wiping a piece of blonde hair away from her eyes. She gave me a smile, knowing I had to leave in a few minutes. My sensitive ears could pick up movements from outside. The guardians were arriving in truck fulls. I spun around to face everyone else, who were looking at me in fear and awe.

Christian, Lissa's long time crush, Mason and Dimitri were all still knocked out. I let my gaze linger on Dimitri for a few moments. From Lissa's thoughts while she was in school, everyone admired him. He was the guy every girl wanted and every guy wanted to be. With gorgeous chin-length hair, a tall and muscular yet lean body, I could see the reason why girls lusted after him. Him and Christian were laying on the floor beside each other, and I knew it would be awhile before they woke up. Probably had a concussion or some shit, but between Lissa and Adrian, I knew that it would heal okay. Mason was on the floor by Eddie, who was still drugged up and laying on Jill, who was staring at me awe-struck. I think a little drool came out, too.

So, that left me three witnesses to deal with. Not bad. I walked over to Jill first, staring her right in the eye as I spoke. I charmed my words, allowing compulsion to over power as I spoke. "The only thing you seen was the Slayer kill the strigoi. You don't know that the Slayer is a girl. Forget my face."

I walked over to Mia, who was glaring at me as I left a fazed Jill. At least someone here has a backbone. "Bitch."

I grinned at her, happy that she was still as feisty as ever. "Oh, there's no need to thank me for saving your life. Because you know, that _is what I just did._ But your welcome."

Her eyes widened. "R-rose?"

Lissa froze, but I smiled softly at her. "Hey, Mia."

"Please, I won't tell anyone. Just don't use compulsion." She begged me, and I could see the sincerity in her eyes, but I knew I couldn't risk it. I wanted to hug my old friend and be like any other normal girl, being able to share secrets with my friends and going out on Friday nights. But I couldn't, so instead of embracing my old friend like I wanted, I put on a guardian mask.

I simply shrugged in response to her pleas. "I'm sorry I have to do this, but again, you know I have to." She tried to look away, but I gripped her chin with my left hand, forcing her to stare at me. "The only thing you seen was the Slayer kill the strigoi. You don't know that the Slayer is a girl. Forget you ever seen Rose today."

Last but not least, I quickly crouched near Adrian. He would be tougher, seeing as how he was a spirit user and could fight off the compulsion. But with mine and Lissa's compulsion together, we could make him forget my face and the fact that Lissa knows me. She came and crouched next to me, and Adrian gaped at her.

"Lissa, you can't be ser-" I cut him off, forcing him to look me in the eye. Through the bond, Lissa worked her compulsion at the same time, making mine stronger than his. I could feel him fighting me, but it was useless with me and Lissa together.

"The only thing you seen was the Slayer kill the strigoi. You don't know that the Slayer is a girl. Forget my face, and the fact that Lissa knows me. The Slayer left too quick for you to see anything."

Trying to fight off my compulsion must have been to hard, because the moment he gave in and the dazed look crossed his face as the compulsion over took him, he slumped sideways. I pursed my lips, biting back the need to help everyone. I looked over at Lissa, who knew I had to get out of here. I ushered her over to the spot she was sitting in, softly tying a thin rope around her wrists.

"If they ask why it's loose, just say that you were close to getting it off when the Slayer arrived. You know the normal lie, just flow with it. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Rose." Lissa smiled at me, and I kissed her cheek before dashing towards the wall, using my momentum to climb and then jump into the hole I created when I entered. The moment my body was on the roof, the guardians all crashed into the warehouse. I peeked my head through the hole one last time, catching Lissa's eye before the guardians could make their way over to her.

_'Love you, Lissa.' _I blew her a kiss and gave her one last wink before dashing off and scaling the side of the building.

_'Love you more. Be careful.'_

_ 'Aren't I always?'_

She internally scoffed. _'No.'_

This time, I really did laugh aloud. Luckily the guardians haven't made their way to check this side of the building, so I quickly ran towards the forest's edge. I took my mask off, looking behind me once, only to see Lissa and her friends being put safely into an SUV. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I took off again to head home.

A hot shower sounded like heaven.

And some pizza.

* * *

**Like/Love/Hate? Let me know! Please review!**

**Suggestions are also welcome! Next chapter, Rose heads to the place we all know and love! The Academy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry for the long wait! The battery on my computer is shot! I can only go on when my laptop feels like being nice for me, Lol. It fucking sucks. So.. to make up for the delay, I wrote an extra long chapter! Over 8,000 words! My longest everrrr! xP**

**By the way, here are the story pairings.**

**Mia_Mason**

**Jill_Eddie**

**Eventually Lissa_Christian**

**Eventually Adrian_Viktoria**

**Eventually Rose_Dimitri**

**PICTURES OF MY CHARACTERS ARE ON MY PROFILE.**

**Disclaimer xxxx I do not own Richelle Mead's characters or Vampire Academy. I only own the plot and my own humor. ;P **

* * *

The moment I walked through the door, my mom hounded me for details. It took me five minutes to shut her up, and then another ten minutes for her to believe that Lissa was okay. Put my mother into battle and no one dares interrupt her for fear of their life. She controls and kicks ass. Janine Hathaway is a lethal guardian, and every one knows it. But put mine or Lissa's life at risk, she turns into a pissed off momma bear who cries on the inside while cursing on the outside.

Only Lissa and I can bring out this side of my mom.

I winced as my tattoo grew from my kills, my skin burning as it marks itself onto my right side. Shoving a bite of pizza into my mouth, I snuggled up next to my mom on the couch with the box on my lap. She played with a wet strand of my hair as we watched a movie. I was only half paying attention, mulling over how to bring up the subject.

"Just spit it out, Rosie." My mother sighed in exasperation. Ugh, she knew that using her affectionate nickname would soften me. She's the only person in the world who lives after calling me Rosie. "I know you got something you want to say. Your lip is almost dead from you biting it."

I scowled as she playfully pushed me, laughing. This topic may not be big news for her, or it will be and break her heart. I know how anxious she gets being away from us, and with me and Lissa gone, how will my mom cope? I know for a fact that when Lissa graduates, my mother is going to one of her guardians. That eases both me and my mother, because I know she will never let anything happen to her. But from all of my mother's pain that she has had to suffer in her lifetime, she has separation anxiety issues. So to bring up the idea of leaving, well, it kinda scares me to think of her reaction.

"Today, Mia was one of the girls held hostage with Lissa." I started, but _of course _my mom cut me off. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep the grin off my face.

"Mia Rinaldi? The girl we took with us on vacation a few years ago?"

"Yes, now no more interrupting." I gave her a pointed look, to which she simply gave me a sheepish smile. "Seeing her, and how much all of Lissa's friends care about each other, it got me thinking. I understand why I could not go to school when I was younger. I wasn't as controlled with everything as I am now. But I want to be able to hang out with friends, and maybe go to a party or two, to be able to know what it's like. I guess I just want that high school experience before I have to go around the world on a killing spree."

My mom stared at me for a few heavy seconds, her wide, brown eyes staring at me so intently that it seemed as if she could see my soul. Breathing out slowly, she gave me a small smile. "You remind me of your father so much. Both of you are so determined, and won't stop at anything until you get what you want. It's one of the best things about you, but can also be a pain."

She stopped to collect her thoughts, which no doubt had probably drifted off to my father. I was surprised to see tears forming in her eyes. Janine Hathaway is not a crier. She might be strict when it comes to guarding, loving when it comes to family, and an amazing person, but she does not cry. As she spoke, her voice was thick. "Baby, I have _never_ wanted to keep you from doing the things you want to do. You don't have to kill strigoi just because people label you as the Slayer. You kill because it is the right thing to do."

"Even when some sick part of me likes it?" I grumbled.

She swept back a piece of my damp, curly hair. "It's in your genes. That is not your fault, Rosemarie. Do not be ashamed, because it is only natural. My point is, you don't have to do anything for anybody because of who you are. If you want to be Lissa's guardian, be Lissa's guardian. If you want to quit being the Slayer, then quit. And if you want to go to school, then go. Because I don't want to hold you back anymore."

I now realized why she was in tears."Mom! Don't think that your holding me back, because you're not! You have taught me so much, and not only about being the Slayer, but about everything. It's just..."

"It's just what?" My mom asked when I didn't finish.

I looked away from her piercing gaze. "I just want to know that there is a difference between the Slayer and Rose Hathaway. I want to know that I am more than a killer."

She gasped so loudly that I cringed away from her. Stupid, sensitive ears. "Rosemarie! Is that what you think? The Slayer is someone the moroi society named because they don't understand. You are Rose Hathaway. The Slayer does not define who you are. You kill strigoi because you have the power to do so. You have the power to over rule the entire world, yet you use your power to help moroi society and kill off evil. Your strigoi genes, and maybe just your Hathaway genes, enjoy a good fight. So what?"

"Yeah, but-" she caught me off.

"Rose Hathaway is the girl who makes me buy groceries every two days, because she is always hungry. Rose Hathaway is a girl who brought her best friend back from the dead. You make jokes when your uncomfortable, to hide your unease. You hate the color pink, and would much rather wear black or red. You don't follow rules, because you say they wouldn't be there if they weren't meant to be broken. Rose Hathaway is a life savior, who would die for any one person on this earth, just because it's the right thing to do. Not for the glory, or the thrill, but because _that's who you are._" My mom gave me a full blown smile. "Rose Hathaway is my amazing, one of a kind daughter, who is _not_ just a killer. Killers don't feel regret or sympathy. Do you feel bad afterwards?"

I closed my eyes, reluctantly nodding my head. Opening my eyes, I looked into my-mother's understanding gaze. She knows what it felt like to kill evil. It was an odd feeling, knowing your doing the right thing, yet bad in a whole other sense. Shaking my head, I grabbed a piece of pizza. Too much mushy talk for one night.

"I will be the Slayer, because I feel a certain duty to do what I can for my people." I gave my mom a side glance smile. "And... I'll also get to go to the academy for my senior year?"

She smirked at me before nodding. "Yes, you can go."

I smiled hugely, jumping into her lap. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The days following were exciting. I kept it a secret from Lissa, and she was starting to get agitated with me for keeping things from her. But I really wanted to surprise her when I show up to school. My mom called the school and worked everything out with the administrative, and _of course_ they would accept the daughter of Janine Hathaway. Even though I'd be at school, there was no way that they were keeping me from my Slayer responsibilities.

While packing, I left many of my weapons here for my mom, but took most of them with me. I had a whole duffle bag full of stakes, guns, and special knives that are specially made for my work. I had another two suitcases, which made my mother roll her eyes. One was full with regular clothing; t-shirts, jogging pants, hoodies, sports bras, shorts, tennis shoes. All of my clothing that will be used for exercising or things that I'll use while fighting. The second suitcase is filled with more girly clothes that I can wear to class or parties. I packed dresses, heels, jeans, my make up, all of my hair products. I threw in all of my personal items into my second suitcase- things like my lap-top, iPod, phone, journal, camera.

I threw all of my bags into the back of my mom's SUV, while she placed my pillows and blankets onto the back seat. She walked slowly into the house, while I barreled past her in my excitement. She was happy that I was happy, but I knew she was having an anxiety attack under her guardian mask. I ran into my bedroom and looked around the empty space. On my bed, my mom placed an extra set of clothes out for me, knowing I'd forget.

"Thanks, mom!" I hollered as I changed into the jeans and long sleeved black shirt she laid out for me. I heard her laugh as she walked downstairs. I put on my normal black combat boots and threw on a red, leather jacket over top. All set.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my door and walked out of my bedroom. It was harder than I thought it would be. Huh. Shrugging off the weird feeling that was consuming me, I jumped off the ledge instead of taking the stairs. My mother sighed in exasperation, shaking her head at me. "How many times have I told you to take the stairs?"

I shrugged, following her into the kitchen. "The same amount of times I've not listened to you."

Rolling her eyes, she pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge. She knew better than to offer it to me. I poured a cup of kool-aid and grabbed a piece of cold pizza, shoving it into my mouth as I hopped onto the counter. My mom leaned against the island, sipping her water as she looked at me.

"So, what are you going to do without me here to entertain you constantly?" I teased, grabbing a second piece of cheese and bacon goodness. "Take up knitting?"

"Sure." She scoffed, her accent coming out strong. It always does when she is mad or being sarcastic. "And would you mind actually chewing your food? You look like a cow."

I crossed my eyes and chewed with my mouth wide open, making stupid noises. She laughed, pushing me away. I laughed too, leaning back. It was moments like this I would miss with my mom. I felt bad leaving her here by herself, but I promised to call all the time to update her on news, and to sneak out and visit when I have the free time.

The drive to the Academy was per usual. As always, I blared my music while my mom whined, pretending to be annoyed. I took my phone out and took a picture of us while she was driving, once again receiving a scolding. I simply smiled and snapped it anyway, humored at her attempts to be stern with me.

The moment we entered the gates to the school, a sense of deja-vu washed over me. I've entered the gates so many times, but never stayed. Now, I'd not be going with my mom. It put a weight on my heart, and a burning in my throat, but my excitement was sky high. Ahead, the school looked the exact same, sprawling and gothic. We drove past the lower campus, the secondary campus, and then stopped at the guardian headquarters.

Beside me, mom turned the car off and gave me a side glance. "Are you ready?"

"Do you even have to ask?" I hopped out of the car and walked around to the other side. "The question is; are you?"

"Sure," she squared her shoulders and put her guardian mask on. Back in the day, when she got pregnant with me, my mom got hell from other guardians. It damn near ruined her reputation. She's worked hard to get her reputation where it once was. Janine Hathaway is a well known name in our society, and though Lissa is her charge, my mom won't actually guard her until she is eighteen. Our plan is that I get assigned to Lissa after graduation, so that her two guardians are me and my mom. She will have the best protection, and it saves us the hassle of trying to be careful with our gifts around anyone. Now, until Lissa's birthday, my mother stays on call as backup for bands of strigoi attacking in large groups, or raids that need the extra help. This has all given her name its reputation, along with the amount of kills she has done. All together, I know she hasn't forgiven her past fellow guardians for shunning her out.

All eyes fell on us as we walked into the building. I kept my face hard and made sure Lissa hasn't find out I'm here. She'll probably be waking up soon, and I really wanted to surprise her. I've been blocking her all week. She's been pissed, thinking that I've been keeping secrets. Oh well. She'll know soon enough.

"Janine!" An older woman with a silvery bob raced toward my mother. The back of her neck was covered in molnijas, and from the way my mom's body eased up, I could tell she was friends with this guardian.

"Alberta," she sighed, embracing her back.

I awkwardly cleared my throat, causing my mother to chuckle, and for Alberta to step back and give me the once over with a timid smile. "I'm Rose."

My mother gave me a pointed look, silently telling me to use my manners. I rolled my eyes; I wasn't being rude. "Alberta, this is my daughter, Rosemarie. Rose, this is Guardian Alberta Petrov. She was my mentor when I was your age." Holy shit.

"Well, then you're in my good book." I held my hand out for her to shake, and smirked at her. I seen her shudder slightly when she shook my hand, but that's common for people who don't know me. Their primal instincts scream at them to run away from me, that I'm dangerous. Which is correct, but I pushed back my inner teenager that wants to have a normal life. Suck it up, I thought to myself. At least she's not running away.

"So, what brings you here? Visiting Vasilisa? She's doing very well since the attack." Alberta told my mom, and I hid my smirk and resisted the urge to tell my mother 'I told you so.' Even though my mom knows I take care of Lissa, she visibly relaxed hearing the news.

"Actually," she started, "I'm here to enroll Rose."

Those who were listening in on our conversation, along with Alberta, all looked shell shocked. I snorted, of course this would be the most scandalous news they have heard in awhile. Stupid bitches. I could understand their shock. Most dhampirs are in these type of schools their entire lives, and here I am, never once been in school. My mother always told everyone that she was home schooling me because Lissa was still in school, and she had no charge until Lissa graduates. So for me to now want to be enrolled, well, it doesn't happen. Ever. If it were anyone but me, they wouldn't have been advanced enough to jump in their senior year and catch up with the novices who have been training since they've been in diapers.

"Janine, you can't be serious!" Alberta exclaimed. She cast a weary glance at me, but otherwise kept her attention on my mom. "She is a senior! Do you have any idea how far behind she'll be?"

I couldn't help myself. "That won't be a problem. I promise."

Even though I used no compulsion, people always have a hard time not listening to me. Just another pro to being me. My mom nodded her head in agreement to my statement. "Alberta, Rose has been taught well. You won't even need to give her extra training."

"I want to believe you, Janine, but I cannot until I see her skills in class." Alberta still looked skeptical as she said her words.

I grinned. "Then lets go to Kirova so we can get me a schedule."

Lucky for me, most of the campus was still asleep, seeing as it's only sunset. Lissa wouldn't be awake for another hour, so I didn't have to worry about blocking her. The only people we seen in the hall were all guardians who stared at my mom. I glared at them all, and they immediately turned away. I may have looked like a bitch to anyone who didn't know me and only see my exterior, but excitement was raging throughout my entire body.

It dimmed when we entered Kirova's office.

At Lissa's middle school graduation and around Christmas time, I've seen her quite a few times throughout the years. Her hooded eyes regarded me and my mom closely with poorly hidden disdain. Bitch. While my mom introduced the both of us, I surveyed the room. Nothing seemed out of place.

"It's nice to meet you, Rosemarie." I highly doubt that is the truth.

"Just Rose." I corrected, leaning back in her chair. She narrowed her eyes and sighed.

"How about we cut to the chase here. Why do you want to suddenly become a guardian?"

"I've always wanted to be a guardian," I smirked, knowing that she was aggravated with my answer.

"Let me rephrase my question. Why have you not come to the academy sooner?" She bit out, pushing her glasses up her narrow nose as she scrutinized me.

I pursed my lips to keep myself from snapping at her for her attitude with me. "My mom has home schooled me. I have had plenty of training to be as advanced as the novices here." I internally scoffed. As if any one person in this school could beat me.

"I highly doubt that." She muttered, but turned to my mother. "Do you not think she will be hopelessly behind? We do not have the means to allow one of our guardians to take time out of their schedules to mentor another dhampir in their senior year when she has never gone to an academy before."

"I won't need one." I argued. They both ignored me.

"Rose will not be behind her peers." My mother said confidently.

"I thought you figured this all out over the phone?" I asked, scowling at Kirova. I could feel my eyes start to dilate in my aggravation, so I swiftly pulled my sunglasses down from my head. My mom squeezed my arm, knowing my problem.

"We did, I'm just not for sure we straightened everything out during our call." Kirova said uneasily. Bull shit. The bitch can't lie for shit. It seemed as if Kirova was looking for a reason to say no. Then it clicked.

I clenched my fists to control the urge to rip one of her limbs off her body. "That's it, right?" I chuckled humorlessly. "You don't want me here because you don't like my mother."

She had the audacity to look aghast. "Miss Hathaway, that is outrageous! We simply cannot let a senior dhampir, untrained at that, into our academy to become a guardian in just a few short months."

"You haven't seen me fight." I nearly growled, using slight compulsion as I looked her dead in the eye.

She must have seen something in my expression because she glanced at Alberta, who stood in the back of the room, and finally nodded. I rolled my eyes; I should have used compulsion from the start. Too bad I couldn't flat out compel her with Alberta in the room. "Okay, we'll make you a schedule and you'll go to classes today with Guardian Petrov keeping watch of you. She will see to if you are fit to attend this academy."

I grinned at my mom in triumph.

Twenty minutes later, I had my schedule and all of my suitcases in my room. My mom went to guest housing, no doubt going to meet up with Alberta. She'd be here until later tonight, leaving after spending some time with Lissa. I already miss her, even if I can see her whenever I want to.

Around campus, most of the people will be getting up soon. I could feel Lissa stirring in her sleep, but she refused to wake up yet. I chuckled. She'd be up soon, though, and besides the novices already up and trying to get in extra training time, she'd be one of the only people awake on campus.

With not many female dhampirs in the academy, I was in a dorm with only a few other girls. The good part of that- we get our own rooms. I plugged my iPod into my speakers before unpacking all of my stuff. Starting with my clothes, I quickly hung them all up in the closet and packed away into my dresser. I stuffed my case of weapons under my bed. My bed skirt reached the floor, so hopefully no one would look under.

I bobbed my head to the music that rang loudly in my room, placing my CDs and certain books and movies on my shelf. After, I hung all of my pictures onto the wall and strung lights on my ceiling corners to decorate my tiny living space. In another five minutes I finished up. Lissa was finally up and getting ready, thoroughly aggravated with me.

_'Rose!'_ She thought, '_Why are you blocking me?'_

I shrugged, even though she couldn't tell because I was blocking her from entering my head, only allowing her to hear me. _'I have a secret.'_

Oops, wrong thing to say.

'_Since when do we have secrets?' _She seethed, yanking her brush through her golden locks to take out some of her pent up anger.

_'Since I have a surprise for you.' _I answered back dryly.

Some of her anger diminished, but not all. I knew most of it was the side effects from spirit, so I didn't take it to heart. _'I'll talk to you later, Rose. I have to go to breakfast.'_

Without waiting for a reply, she blocked me from her head and left her room. I laughed to myself as I left my room. Lissa being angry is like pissing a kitten off. It's hilarious. Being true to myself, I was running late. In the halls, there were a few people here and there, but most were already in the commons having breakfast. Those I passed in the hall stared at me without shame. I kept walking and glared at them all. As I entered the large dining hall, all eyes went to me. It was like flashing a light on after being in the pitch dark. So maybe news of the new girl's arrival spread after all.

My eyes locked on Lissa's table, and she has yet to see me. Her and Jill were talking about her aggravation with me, and I smirked hearing the complaints about me. Jill was the first to notice the growing silence around the dining hall as everyone checked me out. I smirked, leaning against the wall in the entrance doorway, waiting for her to see me.

_'Lissa-bomissa-fe-fi-fofissa, Lissa!' _I sang through our bond.

Startled, she snapped her head directly at me. With our bond, we can sense each other through tones and familiarity. Along with emotions and thoughts, we are can read each others presence, and how far away we are from each other. Jumping out of her seat, she ran towards me. I smiled, standing straight to hug her. I sighed in contentment as she wrapped her arms around me. Her squeals rang loud in my head and in my ears. "Rose!"

Laughing, I hugged her tightly, putting my head in her hair. The last time I seen her, I was slaughtering strigoi. It felt good to physically have her near me and knowing that she was perfectly fine. I missed her so much. _'I missed you too.' _She thought as we pulled out of our embrace.

I grinned, knowing she hadn't put all the pieces together. She immediately became suspicious as my smirk grew, and the mischievous feeling spread through the bond. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." I sang.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "When did you get here?"

"About an hour ago." I shrugged, blocking the secret in my head. I could feel her searching for it.

"An hour ago and you're just now telling me?" She exclaimed loudly, but her smile was still a mile long. I was aware of many hundred sets of eyes trained on our every move, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. "Where's Aunt Janine?"

"In guest housing until she leaves later. Knowing mom though, she's either at the gym or working a shift for someone." I rolled my eyes, walking with Lissa towards her table.

She looked confused. "Then lets go now. I'll skip my classes to see you two all day. I really don't want to waste it."

"We can't," I smirked. "I have classes, too."

It took my words about two seconds to process in her head before she put all the pieces together; the rumors of a new girl, me coming here and not automatically barging into her room, the secretive feeling she has gotten from me all week. She put everything together, and her squeals could be heard all around the room as we finally reached her table and sat down.

"What has you squealing like a pig, Lissa?" Jill asked, her eyes trailing between the two of us warily. Eddie and Mason both chuckled, while Christian seemed to already realize who I was by the expression on Lissa's face. He knew her too well from his stalkerish ways. Well, that and her crush on him.

"Everyone, this is Rose!"

The moment she said my name, I swear, all the tension left their shoulders. It made me all smile that Lissa talks about me so much to her friends. It made me feel special, but in a good way. Different, because I always feel special in a freaky way. Lissa squeezed my hand as she heard my thoughts, giving me the support I needed. I smiled at their shocked expressions. "Hey."

Jill was the first to recover of them all. "Hey, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Jillian Mastrano. You can call me Jill."

I smiled at her and then Eddie, who was sitting next to her and holding her hand. He gave me a small grin, and I could tell that his thoughts weren't exactly here at the moment. I knew that he was still tore up over the Spokane incident. "Eddie Castile."

Next to him was Mason, freckles and a huge grin plastered on his cute face. He nodded to me in the form of hello, throwing a handful of chips into his mouth as he did so. "I'm Mason Ashford."

I smiled at them all, not bothering to let them know that I probably knew everyone's name in this damn place. Christian, not very interested in the turn of conversation, quickly said hello and went back to ogling Lissa and silently watching everyone at the same time. I knew exactly what he was doing, simply because I do the same thing. I could feel his hesitance towards me, knowing he has trust issues, added onto the fact that his natural senses were telling him to run from me. I stole the jello Lissa had on her tray and opened it up as Adrian started talking.

"I'm Adrian Ivashkov."

His voice sounded off, causing me to glance up at him. He was studying me and Lissa, no doubt looking at our auras. Nobody but me could hear the slight waver in his usual over-confident remark, but Lissa sensed it through the bond when I picked up on it. I grinned at him to break the ice. "Huh... nice to meet you, Ivashkov. I've heard some crazy things about you."

Ignoring my dark aura, he finally sported his signature smirk and leaned closer to me. I held his gaze, giving him a smirk of my own. I could tell he appreciated my confidence. "Well, Little dhampir, any day you want to see some of those crazy things, just come to me."

I playfully winked at him. "I don't think you could handle _my_ crazy."

He laughed, the caramel sound comforting me. Before he could reply though, Lissa interrupted our playful banter. "Oh! Here comes Mia."

I didn't look over my shoulder to see her, instead letting a huge smile engulf my face. As far as Mia knows, we haven't seen each other in years. As she came to the table, her high heels clicking loudly as she walked, she gave Mason a chaste kiss on the lips as she sat down in his lap. I stayed silent, wanting to know how long it'll take before she notices me.

"Ugh," she groaned, "can you guys believe there is a new girl? Everyone is talking about how hot she is! That bitch better get a reality check if she thinks she can just up and walk in here as if-"

"Mia!" Jill hissed.

I could barely hold in my chuckles as Mia finished typing a text message. "What? I'm only speaking my mi-"

She finally looked up from her phone and stopped mid sentence as she finally took notice of me. I gave her a lopsided grin, and laughed with Lissa as utter disbelief colored her every feature. Everyone else at the table was beyond confused. "Rose?"

I nodded, my grin growing as she finally smiled. "Hey, Mia."

"Oh my god!" She squealed, throwing her arms around me from across the table. I chuckled when I noticed Mason checking out the new view of her ass. I hugged her back, winking as she let go. "It's been way too long, you bitch."

I laughed, taking a bite of jello. "Hell yeah. Almost six years, you whore."

We both laughed at our routine of saying hello. Everyone else seemed confused once again. Lissa spoke up, answering all of their unspoken questions. "Mia went on vacation with me a few years ago, and of course Rose was there. They hit it off all summer."

"Good times." Mia mused, throwing her arm around Mason's neck and stealing a chip. "So, how long are you here for? Long enough to actually get some girl time in?"

Lissa clapped her hands in glee once again, practically bouncing in her seat. Still oh so excited, she jumped at the chance to tell everyone. "That's what I was so excited for earlier! Rose is coming to school here!"

Not expecting the downfall that I already knew was coming, Lissa seemed genuinely surprised when no one else seemed excited. I knew why, though. I just went through this same shit with Kirova. _'Don't take it to heart. They all think that I have never trained before.' _I reminded Lissa when I felt her hurt and slight anger.

"Rose," Mason struggled to find nice words. "You... well-"

"You'll never catch up or be advanced enough." Eddie stated, ever so blunt.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat. "I don't need to catch up to shit. I've already surpassed everyone here."

Both guys scoffed, but Jill cut off their complaints with her reason. "Rose, you've been home schooled your entire life, and have never been to an academy before. You may know a little of defensive art, but not like the novices around here."

"I have to agree with Jill." Mia added. "I know you can scrap it out, but this is a whole different matter."

I laughed, simply because they were all about to be completely embarrassed. "Okay. Believe whatever the hell you want, but breakfast is over. We can find out in about ten minutes."

"Well," Adrian piped in, sneakily swooping down to peck me on the cheek, "I think you'll keep up just fine."

I laughed, shoving him away. Him and his damn sexual innuendos. I could tell that he actually felt confident in my abilities, mostly off my dark aura. I wasn't worried about his suspicions, especially seeing his care free grin when he slung his arm over Mia's shoulder as they walked off to class. Lissa stood up with me, giving me a hug and a smirk before walking with Jill and Christian towards their class at the far entrance. Grinning, I strolled towards the main gym with Mason and Eddie on either side of me.

"So, Lissa told me there is another guy in your group. Where is he?" I asked, playing dumb. To be honest, I was just curious as to where Dimitri is and why he missed breakfast. I noticed Mason and Eddie share a long look. "What?"

"You know about us being taken last week..." Mason started. "Well, everyone knows, but you probably know more because of Lissa." I waved him on to continue, and judging from Eddie's tense posture, I knew he was uncomfortable talking of it. "Dimitri, the guy Lissa was speaking of, he has been blaming himself. He usually goes to the gym to take out his anger."

"He blames himself? That's crazy, he was knocked out!" I scoffed. They both looked at me funny. "I mean, according to Lissa."

"Yeah." Eddie said with dark eyes.

"The only good part was the Slayer showing up!" Mason exclaimed. I kept my face neutral and tried to look as awe struck as he did. Obviously I had a fan. "But I don't remember much, only the damage he caused."

"Huh." I feigned clueless. "So the Slayer saved your lives, pretty much?"

"Basically." Mason shrugged.

Eddie scoffed. "The Slayer saved us and the queen still has a price on his head. I don't understand it."

I chuckled without humor. "Our queen is a bitch. That is enough of an explanation to me."

They both snickered but didn't say anything else. We arrived at the gym just as the bell rang. Alberta was standing against the far wall, watching the instructor yell at a student with amused eyes. When she noticed me, I nodded to her before walking into the changing room.

I put on a black sports bra with a long sleeved under armour shirt over top. I would like to simply wear a tank top, but I had to hide my tattoo's from everyone. Throwing on a pair of black running shorts with spandex underneath and my black tennis shoes, I quickly threw all my regular clothes into a locker. While french braiding my hair down my back, I spoke to Lissa through the bond.

_'Hold back, don't kick their asses too much.' _She internally chuckled. Her and Jill were working on a project for their Russian culture class; they had already finished last night while everyone else was scrambling for time.

_'Well yeah.'_ I thought back to her. _'I'm just debating who I should play with and who to hurt.'_

She sighed in exasperation, but I knew she'd be watching the whole thing from my eyes. The moment I walked out of the locker room, all eyes went straight to me. Ignoring the curious and lust filled gazes, I walked over to Eddie and Mason. They were waiting for me near the doors to the track.

"So, how did you and Lissa meet? You seem close." Mason asked as we started our warm up laps.

"Oh," I chuckled. "Lissa is my cousin. Her mom and my mom were half sisters. They had the same moroi dad. I know most don't even know each other, but our moms have always been close."

"No, shit." Mason laughed.

"Yep." I grinned. "She has been my best friend since the diaper days."

"Same goes for me and Eddie boy here." Mason laughed, mock punching Eddie in the shoulder. Eddie grinned, but didn't say anything as he put his headphones into his ears.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence as we ran. Well, more like jogging, but a very quick run for the boys. After five miles, we stopped at the gym entrance. I tried to act like I was breathing heavy, but realized quickly how stupid I sounded. I simply gave up after sounding like a fish out of water. Insert sarcasm here.

"You run like it's nothing." Mason exclaimed as we all stretched.

"Five miles?" I scoffed. "That is nothing. Simply a warm up. Humans can run five miles without stopping for fun."

"Yeah, but when will we ever actually run for miles without stopping?" Mason complained.

I thought back to last weekend when I ran three states for Lissa. Of course my body and situation is completely different than his normal dhampir one, but the facts remain the same. "You never know."

"Dude, Smith is going to be on tip!" Eddie laughed, the first time I've heard emotion from him in awhile.

Mason burst out laughing, and they did some funky hand shake with a 'guy' hug. I shook my head. Boys. "This will be entertaining."

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked as we walked into the gym. The novices around us were all speaking about the new gossip going around the school like wild fire- me.

"Damn, she is hot." I heard one guy say to another.

"Fuck yeah. I almost feel bad for the ass whooping she is about to get. You know how Smith is with new kids." The other said back to him.

"Still. She's smokin'." I rolled my eyes, tuning out all the conversations around me.

"Guardian Smith is our instructor for this class." Eddie explained to me, pointing to a stocky looking guy with muscles the size of my head. I rolled my eyes. The stupid fucker looks like a class A pussy. "He tends to pick on the girls and new students. The prick loves to torment kids."

"No problem." I rolled my wrists and cracked my neck. "I'll just put him on his ass."

They both looked disbelieving. "No, he'll start you off with either Meredith or Cindy, the only two girls in this class. If you win, then he will pick a guy. Then you would normally fight Dimitri, but he's skipping, so you'd fight him."

I nodded my head and glanced around at the techniques being used. Compared to strigoi, their movements are very slow and jerky. Don't get me wrong, all these novices are training to be the best of the best, and they were good. But most of them had big heads and way too much cockiness.

"Hey! Listen up!" Smith yelled as the last novice came in from his laps. He gazed over at me, and I immediately wanted to wipe the smirk off his ugly ass face. "It seems we have a new student here today."

"You want a cookie for that amazing observation?" I asked dryly, already sick of his voice. Chuckles erupted around me, but he didn't find it as humorous as the rest of us.

"Meredith." He barked. Almost as if she knew he was going to call on her, Meredith scurried forward and stood tall next to him. She seemed overly confident, as if I was a fly she was going to kill. I almost giggled. Her dirty blonde hair was wildly curly, and she was slightly taller than me.

I dragged my eyes away from her and smirked at Smith. "What is this? It seems like a messed up ritual or some shit."

The corner of his mouth twitched up as he regarded me with amusement. "Ah, you're a feisty one. That will make this much more exciting."

I couldn't contain my laughter. "What are you, a masochist or something? Jeez, lets just get this over with."

"Fine." He snapped. "Everyone sit down. Meredith and... sorry, what's your name?"

I scowled. Dick head. "Rose."

"Yeah. Meredith and Rose get on the mat. First one to 'die' loses."

I wiggled my eyebrows at Mason and Eddie before walking onto the mat. No one seemed to think I could beat this Meredith chick, which is absolutely crazy. Any person with good observation skills can see how wobbly she is on her left side, or how she is oblivious to any of my weaknesses. To be a great guardian, you have to know how to read your opponent. I have perfected this, but I can tell that this is Meredith's weak point. Now, instead of calculating me, she is giving her friend a cocky grin. Ha. Funny bitch.

"Good luck." She grinned at me as she got down into a defensive stance. I stood still, watching her every move. The boys around us were all cracking stupid jokes about girl fights, and how much my hotness can make up for getting my ass kicked. As if.

"I could say the same to you." I purred, flashing my eyes dangerously. She flinched back roughly, her balance wobbly. I took my move when she was distracted for a split second.

I swiped my left hand behind her back, shoving her forward and closer to me. She was caught off guard by the force of my shove, and while she was too surprised to do anything but try and stay on her feet, I swept my right foot behind her legs, knocking her to her knees. She fell to her stomach and tried to roll away, but this only put her at a worse angle.

"If I were a strigoi, you'd be dead." I whispered into her ear as I knelt down to pick her up. I shoved her body a few feet from me and smirked as she scrambled to her feet. I could only watch in amusement as she took on the offensive.

I dodged every hit she attempted, playing with her anger. I could sense her frustration, and the obvious surprise that colored her face. Feeling slightly bad for her, I decided to put her out of her misery. She tried to upper cut me in the stomach, but I quickly grabbed her hand and twisted it. She gave a strangled cry as I bent her arm at the elbow, twisting her body so that her back was to me. "Not so cocky now, eh?"

With that, I squeezed the pressure point in her neck, locking all of her muscles together. She fell to the floor in a heap, knocked out.

I looked up and grinned at Smith, who looked absolutely flabbergasted. All the guys in the room were silent, staring at me with wide eyes. Mason and Eddie were speechless. "So, I'm pretty sure I just passed your test with an A."

This sent Smith out of his stupid haze. "Of course not. You beat Meredith out of pure luck, and the fact that she is only a girl."

"Only a girl?" I seethed. "What does that mean? I sure bet that Alberta over there can whoop your ass."

Smith sneered at me, ignoring the laughter around him as all the guys backed my statement up. "It's a fact that men are stronger than woman. We all know that."

"Yeah," I cocked my head to the side and feigned innocence. "But that doesn't mean men are better fighters. It's all about knowing what to do with what you've got."

His eyes tightened, and I could practically see the vein in his forehead ready to burst. Huh, so the prick doesn't like to get proven wrong. "Okay, lets see how you do with harder competition. Ryan, get up here."

A dhampir with dirty blonde hair and soft eyes quickly came to the mat. I could sense his unease around me, his nervousness from not being able to understand me. Regardless, as he stood opposite me on the mat, he gave me a soft smile before getting into his stance. I grinned back. Unlike Meredith, Ryan took on the offensive quickly.

I side stepped his attempt to round house me, ducking under the fist heading toward my jaw. Moving lightly on my feet, I quickly snapped my right leg up, round house kicking his face. Gasps echoed around me, but I gave Ryan credit, he stood his ground. He charged forward, and right before he came into contact with me, I dropped to the floor, his knees hitting my body. I threw his legs out from under him, causing his body to flip a few times before he fell to the floor with a thud. Oops, maybe I twisted him too hard.

He groaned, "Fuck."

I had to give him props, he kept up nicely. Jumping to his feet with a wince, I kept in mind that fighting me is harder than fighting strigoi, and that for him to be able to keep up is amazing on his part. He went at me quickly after my throw, his fists flying at me. I dodged, staying on the balls of my toes. To make it look more realistic, I allowed him to get a nice punch in my stomach. I winced, controlling my natural urge to rip his fucking head off for touching me.

The guys around us were cheering us on, shouts of both our names echoing throughout the gym. His fist came flying at my arm, so I caught his wrist and twisted his arm. He grunted, and I kicked the back of his knee while he couldn't move. I pinned him, locking his arms behind his back. He struggled beneath me, but was unable to throw me off.

"Yeah," I looked up at Smith. "Your little game is back firing on you."

The sexist bitch couldn't close his mouth. I let go of Ryan's arms, offering a hand for him to stand. When he grabbed it, he instantly flinched, his skin erupting in shivers. He let go immediately and gave me an odd look as he stood up himself. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, nice match." He stuttered out, noticing my look.

I smiled at him, deciding not to let him shit himself out of fear. "Yeah, you too."

He scoffed, but otherwise smiled back. "Bullshit. You kicked my ass."

I laughed. "Yeah, maybe. But you lasted longer than Meredith."

"Rose, Aylesworth, enough chit chat." Smith snapped. I smirked, facing him while putting my hands on my hips.

"So," I glanced at my nails and feigned boredom. "Was that pure luck, too? Or can you admit that I'm just as good as any guy here." Or way better, I thought to myself.

God, this guy didn't know when to stop. He whipped his head around the gym, searching for someone. His eyes landed on Eddie and Mason, who were still staring at me with shocked faces. I winked at them as Smith barked out their names. "Where is Dimitri? You three are always together."

Mason looked up. "Huh? Oh, I mean-"

Eddie rolled his eyes but answered the question. "He's at one of the empty gyms to get some individual practice. Alberta gave him permission to take some time to himself."

Smith cursed under his breath, something only I could hear. I snickered, smirking at his disgruntled expression. He looked down at me, eyes squinting. "Then I guess you'll spare with me."

I grinned, bouncing on my toes. "Fantastic."

_'Try not to sound too eager to lay him on his ass.' _Lissa mockingly teased me. I inwardly laughed at her, but kept my face neutral.

Smith assessed me as he took a stance on the other side of the circle. I mocked him, smirking at him before jumping straight to the offensive before he could realize I already decided what to do. He was surprised by my speed, and attempted to block my hit, but I faked a left and went right, to his weaker left side. His fist jabbed out in a quick, precise manner, but I blocked each hit. I blocked another of his hits, but threw his arms up and slammed my hands into his chest. Took off balance, Smith stumbled a few steps before gaining his momentum back. I ducked under his roundhouse, playing a slight game of cat and mouse.

It's fun to piss him off. Eh, whatever. The fucker will act as if he won't get off on this later.

I switched to the offensive again as boredom over came me. I swung out and hit his right arm, immediately dancing out of the way as he tried to swing back. My left leg hit his waist, and I used my momentum to propel my body to the right, using both my arms to throw my body into the air. Gasps echoed around me as I butterfly twisted away from Smith. I used his shock to my advantage, lunging forward and grappling him to the floor. His elbow swung out and hit my collar bone, making me hiss in pain.

Fuck, I hate when someone gets a hit on me. Talk about down grading.

Smith wiggled away from me, and I gave him as innocent a smile as I could muster. He regarded me with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what my next moves were. In all honesty, I simply wanted to embarrass him. Any fucking male who thinks that he is better than a female pisses me off. And anyone who pisses me off is plain stupid. For real.

"So," I drawled out, slowing my movements to mess with his head. "What makes you think that you are better than anyone else? Who died and made you king?"

The dhampirs around me all laughed, some 'oohing' as I faced off with him. If possible, the dick head became even more red. "In a real fight, if you were against a strigoi, you'd never be able to converse like this. Your neck would be snapped before you could blink."

I figure it wouldn't help my case by bringing up the fact that I could snap _his _neck before he could blink, but whatever. To end this nonstop circling, I lunged forward, placing my fist on his chest. Without pulling my arm back at all, I shoved it forward with just enough force to wind him. In one motion, I kicked him onto his back and held him down with my right foot. Still winded from my hit, he could do nothing as I pinned him.

Silence followed as I stepped away from Smith. Except for Lissa's cheering in my head. I gave all the dhampirs around me a steady gaze and made sure they knew that I wasn't a person to allow anyone to walk all over me. They all flinched away from me as I used my piercing eyes.

Finally, I looked over near the doors and spotted my mother and Alberta, both staring at me. My mother with pride written all over her face, and a hint of smugness from the overall shock and 'I told you so' that we have over everyone. I let a smirk tug at the corner of my lips. "So, I take it I can stay?"

Alberta let out a long chortle, her eyes filled with genuine amazement and surprise. "Rose Hathaway, welcome to St. Vladimir's Academy."

* * *

**Please, R&R! I appreciate everyone's opinion and hope this lived up to expectations! Next, we'll have the highly anticipated DimitrixRose meeting!**

**Reviews are better than Rose kicking ass.**

**Now for an off hand comment, OMFG. The trailer finally came out this week, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Zoey as Rose, but I was not happy AT ALL with Lissa or Dimitri or Mia. Ugh. Now, I know it will be better once it comes out, but wow. Other than that, holy shit! Talk about a lot of action!**

**With love, **

**Alana**


End file.
